Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Cuts Threaten Opioid Battle: 'I Don't Think It Was Intentionally Designed To Kill, But It Might'
The Philadelphia Inquirer: As Opioid Epidemic Rages, Advocates Fear Cuts To Treatment Programs
Even as the opioid epidemic rages, that shortage could become worse next year, unless advocates can beat back a plan to limit federal matching funds for Medicaid drug rehab to 15 days a month. The limit would apply to all facilities with more than 16 beds. The situation is particularly worrisome in Pennsylvania because of how the state has been financing rehab under Medicaid. The program is run jointly by the states and the federal government, and varies somewhat among states. For instance, the regulation change will not affect New Jersey because it has never received federal Medicaid matching dollars for residential rehabs larger than 16 beds, a spokeswoman for the state's department of health services said. (Bond, 11/6)
The Associated Press: Opiate Declines In Md. Prisons After Cut From Medicaid List
Since Suboxone film strips were removed from the Medicaid Preferred Drug List in July, the amount of the drug recovered in Maryland correctional facilities as contraband has decreased by 41 percent, according to Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Suboxone — a drug used to treat opiate addiction — has a high risk of addiction and dependence, and can even lead to death when paired with other drugs or alcohol, according to the Food and Drug Administration. (Lang, 11/4)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Naloxone, The Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug, Now In Most Ohio Pharmacies: What You Need To Know
Hundreds of Northeast Ohio pharmacies now offer the opioid overdose-reversing medication, naloxone, without a prescription, part of a statewide effort that's made the potentially lifesaving drug available in most pharmacies in 84 of Ohio's 88 counties. The drug, if used properly, can rapidly reverse an overdose of opioids, including heroin, fentanyl and other prescription painkillers in the same drug family. (Zeltner, 11/5)
The Washington Post: He Beat His Wife’s Heroin Dealer With A Baseball Bat. Here’s Why He Wasn’t Imprisoned.
Edwin Sobony II had had enough. It was December 2015 and Sobony’s wife was on heroin, which she got from her cousin, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Sobony had asked the cousin, Larry Jewell, to stay away from their home. But that day in December, Jewell came by, and Sobony picked up an aluminum baseball bat and began to beat him. ... Now, Sobony has received his sentence for the conviction: Two years of probation. ... “I’m not supporting what Mr. Sobony did,” Judge Charles Schneider said. “Vigilante justice is not supported by the court. But the people in this community have just had it.” (Larimer, 11/5)
The Star Tribune: Methadone Is Helping Minn. Addicts, Leaving Its Own Dangerous Trail
Methadone is one of the few proven treatments for opioid addiction, and physicians say it remains an essential tool. But it is addictive and dangerous in its own right, and in Minnesota it is provided largely at for-profit clinics with histories of lawsuits and licensing infractions. (Olson, 11/5)
